Chesapeake City is a real hidden gem, and the center of its crown must be the Bayard House. Eighteenth Century is construction, sitting on a knoll above the C&D Canal, its picturesque solid manse is a pleasure to enter and a delight to sit on the enclosed back porch for lunch or dinner. It wasn't busy on an overcast rainy Thursday, and the staff took great care of us with brief history lesson and tips on what to see and do while in town. The weather kept our walking to a minimum, but what we saw was pure Americana. Lunch was also very good. We shared a new recipe for Brussel Sprouts that was delicious with bacon and balsamic mixed throughout. The tart, slightly bitter, mildly sweet composition hit the spot. Too, we shared a fresh Rockfish Sandwich, that was thinly coated and fried with something like aioli spread across the top, with pickles for contrast to the white fish filet. Tasty. Right beneath the back porch in what appears to be the basement, was the Hole in the Wall Bar, right next to another larger dining room that opened out onto a small patio for better weather, and just beyond the wide canal. We checked it out, but it wasn't quite ready for customers at that hour. If you enjoy American history in a picturesque colonial setting, check out Chesapeake City and Bayard House. Its unassuming charm is captivating. read more

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Great service, beautiful setting and decor. My drink was full of ice with little alcohol, the wine listing was wanting. The food was mediocre, although my husband ordered the prime rib and that was good.​ read more

Nice location. Good service. Parking can be a bit tight. $$$$$ for what you get, unless you go during the week for one of the specials. Not what it was 5 years ago, not at all. read more

Went to the bar underneath the restaurant. Had a great time. Bartender, Kate made us amazing cocktails. We enjoyed the crowd. Goid vibes. read more

The Bayard House - Spicy bloody mary - Seafood Near Me - Chesapeake City, Maryland

I took my family out for lunch to celebrate our 50th anniversary. There were seven of us. The food was fine, but two major issues really affected the experience: the flies and the extremely slow service. Our lunch took three hours. Drinks arrived about 15 minutes after ordering because they were coming from the bar downstairs. After we finished eating, the waitress asked if we wanted dessert even though our plates hadn't been cleared. We had to flag down a passing busboy just to get the table cleaned. And then the flies--there were so many that it felt like they were swarming. It was difficult to enjoy the meal while constantly swatting them away. I even had to cover my food with a napkin between bites to keep them from landing on it. The view is great and the food is acceptable, but the service and the fly problem make this a restaurant I will not return to. read more

Im here having dinner and would love for the live music to STOP!..... way too loud, terrible singers

We visited Bayard House for a special occasion. That seemed to be a good choice as we thoroughly enjoyed the food, and the ambience. The view in the seating area on the canal was fantastic! If possible, request a window seat if available. Furthermore, every entree that we've ordered was delicious, with great presentation. Staff was friendly and helpful. The menu is somewhat limited, but still had a good variety and selections. Pricing reflects higher end dining options. So you may want to plan a visit for a special occasion, or a special person. Be prepared to hunt for a parking location when you arrive. As the lack of parking area is really the only drawback for this restaurant. read more

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I would not recommend the Bayard Inn. Had a 6:00 reservation, as the hostess seated us she only had one menu, she said she would be right back with a second one. This was not a big deal for we could share the one but she never returned with the other one. As we were seated our server asked if we wanted anything. We just were seated were not even settled in our chairs. After fifteen minutes and still no server I asked the hostess if our server got lost. Another ten minutes past a still no server. We left. The hostess and who-ever was to be our server should be FIRED. The one star is way to many for there is no ZERO star. read more

Totally unprepared for people dining in general. I felt bad for our server , it seamed like he was pulled out of the kitchen. A big no no for me is no bread with dinner. We asked and he said they didn't have any. We have been here many times but that will be the last . To elaborate it wasn't crowded at all read more

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT!!! Let me start by saying my server Sandra V was excellent she keep the food and the drinks coming but on another note DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY I had a pubic hair in my food and the person I was dinning with had a hair in their food as well. We informed Sandra about both hairs she told us she would go and speak to the manager she came back to tell us that the manager was not willing to do anything about it the manger didn't even come over to apologize to either of us so I requested to speak to them directly to management she came over and said she was informed by Sandra about the situation she first told us she would take off half of the bill but when the newly updated bill arrived it was just half off one crab cake sandwich and nothing off my friends entree so we informed Sandra what the manger said about taking half of the bill so once again I asked to speak to the manger she then redacted what she said and said NO! she was meaning just half off the crab cake she was very rude and abrupt not at all apologetic and walked away I didn't catch her name but she's was older lady the person I was eating with didn't finish their food either you would you think with not just one but two different plates with the same issue that they would have removed the dishes completely or did what she said in the beginning which was to take half off the bill very unprofessional and had no remorse or sympathy for almost $120.00 check I ordered a crab cake sandwich with a side of fries not a side of public hair I would not recommend or will I be returning read more

We stopped in on a Friday Afternoon at the hole in the wall, bar and grill portion of Bayard house restaurant, took a little while for a waitress, but not too bad. When our waitress took our order for drinks and appetizers, I ordered Brackish, dirty martini, and my wife ordered peach better have my money. The martini was pretty weak, not sure what they do to make them weak and the Peach better have my money, was just not tasty, could have been mixed up, normally for mixed drinks bartenders do that but this was layered with the dark rum just sitting on top. We order 6 Blue point oysters, beef empanadas and burnt ends. The oysters were supposed to come with a mignonette granita, not there, I asked for horseradish, got some grated but certainly wasn't good horseradish so at $3 a piece they certainly were not worth it. The empanadas, what came out did not look like empanadas, we at first thought maybe some kinda of chef creation but no it was not empanadas but bang bang cauliflower. How does the waitress not know, they look entirely different. At any rate she brought us the empanadas, they were ok. The Burnt Ends were good. Our waitress didn't come back so we had to find her to get our bill and get out of there. We are looking for a place to go instead of Chesapeake Inn or Schaffers, this isn't the place. read more

While enjoying a quick breakfast sandwich; and excellent matcha, at Cafe on the Bay with my parents and grandmother, my partner and I wanted to see the water and enjoy an alcoholic beverage next door at the Bayard House. While waiting an excessive amount of time for an outside bartender we were met with the excessively aggressive and completely unprofessional "Bud". While waiting to patronize the establishment I admittedly helped myself to some cherries from the bar. Unfortunately a few cents of the establishments cherries were worth more to Bud than the comfort and enjoyment of his customers. In conclusion, if you are looking to waste an exuberant amount of money for a pompous unprofessional experience, ask for bud and you'll have the time of your life. read more

Food, atmosphere and service is always wonderful! My kids booked a birthday brunch for me here and it was very special!!

Went to eat for Father's day all signs said open at 7.00am. went in to a very rude employee that told us not open till 8. After pushing us out then door and the slammed it behind us. So you missed out on some big money this morning because of your rudeness. Our group has been coming to Chesapeake City for 18 years,We in our group will never paytronise your establishment and will be informing others as well. read more

The Bayard House - Hours of operation - Seafood Near Me - Chesapeake City, Maryland

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Stopped in on a hot summer day with a friend to get a nice meal, unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. I ordered the house salad it was mostly celery, shredded carrots and a ton of onions in it barely any romaine. Coconut shrimp was good, I also ordered crab cake sandwich, friend ordered crab cake too, unfortunately there was hair on both of our entrees. The server Sandra V was great, informed her about the salad and the hair in the main dish. She agreed that there was a lot of veggies on salad and apologized about the hair on crab cake entree. She came back and mentioned that there was nothing that they could do. I asked to speak with a manager and she came by short lady with dark hair, I addressed my concerns to management and she did mention that she would take half off the entire bill. The manager never apologized once and walked away. Sandra came back with the bill and the amount due was not half off. I asked again to speak with manager she came over and argued with me saying that I told you that I would take half off your entree which was an absolute lie. No, you just mentioned to me that you would take half off the bill. She only took half off crab cake sandwich and the house salad. I honestly wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone. This establishment really needs to get their kitchen staff in line with proper food handling and preparing but first I would recommend management replacement because no business woman should be this pernicious when it comes to guests and their complaints. I would highly recommend Mr. Ed's crabs in Churchville MD read more

Our second time here. Everything is always delicious! Service is awesome with great live music if you are seated outside. read more

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We went to the Bayard house on a visit to Chesapeake City in August of 25. We were very disappointed in the food, drinks and service. We were seated at 7:00. The server took our order our food and drink order at about 7:10. We did not get our drinks until 7:30. The drinks came in plastic glasses. I understand that we were outside and glass is not allowed, but the plastic felt like it came from Kmart! Not really appealing for a martini and a nice wine and what is supposed to be a higher end restaurant. Then the server forgot our food order, she even forgot she took our food order. She did her best to rush the order thru. The food was solidly OK, but not worth the price. Topping off the evening, our server lost my credit card and we had to spend time looking or it. Fortunately, we did find it. I will share that the view on the outside deck was amazing, but we don't plan to go back. read more

Went to Bayard tonight by boat. Got seated reasonably quickly. A waitress came by said she would bring us Waters and then disappeared for 18 minutes. During that time two other tables were seated and both got Waters and the first had even gotten their cocktails that they ordered before we ever saw anybody at that. We said something to a blonde waitress who gave us a snotty attitude so we picked up and left and went next door. Extremely disappointing read more

Ambiance is amazing, beautiful. Updates are modern and inviting. View incredible, service great as always. Has been one of my favorite go to places that has it all. Well, no longer the case. The food was very disappointing. Crab cakes used to be wonderful and worth the price. The crab cake today was terrible, I've had better at sub shop. Way too much filler and way over spiced. So terribly disappointing. For Maryland at a nice restaurant a good crab cake is a must. Chef must not be from MD. Or has no clue what makes a good crab cake. My husband got the duck and he was unimpressed. They need a new chef! read more

So the menu is not very extensive. Especially if you are a vegetarian. And please check your bill. Both of the entrees we had, the price charged did not match the price on the menu!!! The waitress never refilled our water glasses! A 20% service charge was added without the waitress mentioning. Not a good look. read more

Oh the crab bisque!!! Please sir could I have some more?!? Service was friendly, efficient and didn't hover. Whether in the friendly bar with live music or in the dining room looking over the canal it's worth the trip. read more

Good food. Great location. Drinks too sweet. Service ok. The crab cake is excellent. Great oysters. Order wine instead of cocktails- not worth it. read more

The Bayard House - Terrific ship watching spot - Seafood Near Me - Chesapeake City, Maryland

We came for the seafood and it did not disappoint. Started with shrimp cocktail(marvelous, large and fresh!) and moved to the scallops (oh! With a teriyaki sauce that matched perfectly with the Wassabi) then moved on to the main entrees. Crab-cake diner with fresh asparagus and mashed potatoes and rockfish with crab. All was perfectly cooked, flavorful and presented so well. And when you think you couldn't have any more there was desert. Banana & walnut cake and Key lime pie! The flavor of Bananas and walnuts were a perfect match! The key lime east creamy and sweet/tart all at once! We sat at the bar in the Hole in the Wall bar downstairs and the bartender and server were just enough friendly and business like. We'll definitely be back! read more

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WE MUST HAVE CAUGHT THEM ON AN OFF NIGHT. We traveled through Chesapeake City on Mother's Day and wanted to stop for dinner. Bayard House had good ratings, so we gave them a try. All of the servers seemed very young and inexperienced. I watched one stumbling opening and presenting a bottle of wine to a patron. It took our waitress over 10 minutes to bring us water, and she generally was inattentive for our entire stay. We were told they were only serving a buffet when we asked for a menu. Our mistake was that we didn't ask for the price, nor was it offered. I almost gasped when I saw our bill. It was WAY overpriced at $54.95 ea. The food was okay, and we could eat as much as we wanted. The ambiance is nice as well, right on the C&D Canal. A ship went by as we ate, which was a pleasant surprise. Slowly, we all came to the same conclusion: this was not a pleasant dining experience. We also overheard other patrons complaining, too. read more

Food was excellent. Service was good. Ambiance was charming. I would definitely recommend it!

We had a 7:15 reservation. I called at 7:05 and was told they were running late, and could be 7:30, 7:45, maybe 8:00. Went into the lobby at 7:45. It was packed with unhappy couples waiting for their tables. I gave them my name and time. She informed me I was late! After some discussion, the other greeter acknowledged that I had called ahead, but it didn't matter as the 7:00 reservations had not been seated yet. We left and went to the Chesapeake Inn for a drink. I called the Bayard again at almost 8:30, still no table available, so I cancelled the reservation, and we had a lovely dinner at the Chesapeake. The Bayard Inn is a disaster. read more

A few of us girlfriends were enjoying an outing to celebrate a couple of birthdays. We had lunch at the Chesapeake Inn where the server couldn't have been nicer. We had a great experience. Then we wanted to have dessert at this restaurant. It couldn't have been worse! The server was so rude. Asked several times for coffee and our selections took over 45 minutes to get to us. they literally had only to slice it and bring it out. No prep needed. Andrew waited in another table or just walked around and totally ignored us. I had to go find someone to get creamer and sugar and a spoon by that time coffee was cold. The host (Anita) was so sweet and filled in. But I'm not sure I would go back. I run bus groups on tours but a tour to this town will not include this place sadly. read more

Amazing food! The Brussels sprouts were out of this world! I also had the crab and rockfish and it was delicious!

Went there for Easter. It was horrible. Never told us there was a buffet and also put in the basement because construction was going on upstairs (never told us that either). read more

we went to the Bayard house on December 8th, 2025. used to be a nice place. we had the worst time because it is no longer a nice restaurant. it's a night club with loud music. we went for a nice dinner and we could not even hear each other talk. complained two times and did not make much difference. with the price you pay there go someplace else. read more

Extremely overpriced for nothing very special. Much nicer places nearby with better water views. Has definitely gone downhill over the years. Used to be a special place. Disappointed. read more

We ate here for the first time this week and we've already been back twice! It was a busy weekend, so the wait staff was really busy and it took them a minute to get to us but once they did - our food came out quickly and by course (not all at once). The kitchen did a great job with timing. We really enjoyed the pasta alfredo, chicken fingers, & wedge salad. We were seated by the windows with a water view. Our servers were pleasant, even though they were busy & they were knowledgable about the dishes and were able to answer questions. The food was excellent & the service was great! it's our new favorite local spot. The food was so good we forgot to take pictures... guess i have a reason to go back :) read more

Our first visit and it was for lunch. Great menu and the food and drinks were terrific. Great view of the water as well. We liked the atmosphere and will definitely visit again for dinner. read more

Great food ! Excellent service! Dillion Our wait was wonderful and thoughtful. We will definitely be back and we highly recommend!! read more

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience was so frustrating, stressful and disappointing that I feel obligated to warn others--especially if you're considering them for a special event like a wedding. They claim they want to start offering weddings but their service does not make that seem to be the case. Management kept saying it was the owners fault and they were slow to respond. From the very beginning, communication was a nightmare. Emails went unanswered for weeks, calls were ignored, and when we did finally get in touch, we were given conflicting information. It became clear that they either didn't have their act together or simply didn't care about being professional. They misled us about pricing (started at $60 per person including kids and ended at $115 per person without alcohol), availability, and what was included in our package. Initially we were told $300 venue fee, then $600, and finally $2200! Then on top of that commission and service fee and tip. We were promised certain accommodations, only to find out later that they either didn't exist or required additional fees--none of which were disclosed upfront (even charging $5 per chair and saying they would buy an arch and I can rent it from them- which if I was going to pay to rent an arch it wouldn't be the $100 one they were going to buy from Amazon. At one point, they outright lied about what had offered and tried to shift the blame to us saying we misunderstood what was included. I have the menu that shows we would get soup and salad and had to pick the appetizers and entrees. We initially made the selections and the manager lost them. When she finally responded she admitted to losing the choices and we had to reselect. As our wedding approached, the lack of professionalism became even more apparent. Their disorganization caused unnecessary stress. Instead of helping make our day special, they turned it into a frustrating ordeal. We took our wedding to another waterfront location and are getting a much better wedding, better food and service for much less because of all their ridiculous fees and doubling the price per person. This is not how any business--especially one dealing with important life events--should operate. Save yourself the stress, disappointment, and wasted money. Do not book or dine with Bayard house or their other restaurant down the street Prime 225 because the management and owners don't care. read more

This spot has 5 star views. Sitting out on the water is hard to beat but there are some flaws with the service and menu. Labor day Monday was also "Mexican Monday". We were seated at 3pm and excited to order chips and salsa and we were surprised to learn they were out already... Instead we had the mexican street corn, 2 carne asada tacos, 1 rockfish taco, and carne asada quesadilla that came with rice and beans. Let's start with the good, the carne asada in the tacos and quesadilla was very tender and well seasoned. The rockfish was good as well but not as good as the steak. I loooooved the mexican street corn. The rice was regular rice with sazon in it and the refried beans was just plain weird (they probably sat too long under a heat lamp. As for drinks we tried the pink lemonade, key lime martini, the daiquiri, and the last drink i forget its name but tasted like a malibu bay breeze essentially. Our first two drinks came (malibu bay breeze and lemonade) and they didn't taste like any alcohol was in them. The second drinks (key lime martini and lime daiquiri) tasted over the top. As for our service... She was nice but timing was way off and she seemed a little out of it. Dinner took longer than it needed too. read more

The Bayard House - Key Lime Martini - Seafood Near Me - Chesapeake City, Maryland

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Great old building with a nice interior. The food and service e are always spit-on when I have been there. The only problem is that it gets busy in the summer and the outdoor tables fill up quickly. Get there early and enjoy a sunset supper. read more

Very nice atmosphere, lovely view, nice presentation with a tasty menu. Service was very slow and drink refills were forgotten. No reflection on the server, she just had way too many tables. They have a quant outside patio with a casual outdoor bar. read more

Everything very good +! Restaurant great place for grownups! Specialty drinks are standout out! Food delicious. Fries are crack. Crab-cake sandwich price appropriate and worth a try. Lobster roll great for Maryland but it ain't New England style. Ambiance is on the money! Bayard is worth a try! read more

My daughter and son-in-law took us to Bayard House when we were in Maryland for Christmas as it's one of their favorite restaurants. We loved it! The food, the ambience, the view, and the service were all excellent! So, when Noella was promoted to Major yesterday, we wanted to do something special. I called Bayard House from Texas and Chris Amon, the new Assistant Manager, answered. Telling him that I wanted to purchase a gift card and why, he told me that I'd have to come in to purchase it. Well, we live in Texas, so even though we'd be coming for the ceremony, we'd have no time to get by there first to purchase it. I was about to hang up when, he asked where my daughter lives and offered to hand deliver it. Talk about service above and beyond the average! Not only did he hand-deliver it today, he bought a card for it! Noella was thrilled! Noella's Dad and I look forward to coming back to the Bayard House and thanking Chris in person the next time we're in Maryland! If you haven't tried the Bayard House, we highly recommend it! read more